Coping Self-Efficacy Scale (CSE)

Abstract

The Coping Self-Efficacy Scale (CSE) is a widely utilized psychometrics instrument designed to assess an individual’s perceived confidence in their ability to manage and overcome stressful or problematic situations. Developed by Chesney and colleagues in 2006, the scale focuses specifically on self-efficacy beliefs related to various coping behaviors, rather than measuring the coping behaviors themselves. The CSE is structured around 26 items rated on an 11-point scale, providing a comprehensive measure across dimensions such as problem-focused strategies, emotional regulation, and seeking social support. The scale is a valuable tool in health psychology for assessing adaptation and resilience in the face of chronic illness or significant life stressors.

Keywords

Coping, Self-efficacy, Stress management, Psychological assessment, Problem-focused coping, Emotional regulation, Social support, Health psychology.

Authors

Mary Ann Chesney, Thomas B. Neilands, David B. Chambers, Joan M. Taylor, Susan Folkman.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the CSE is to quantify the degree of confidence an individual holds regarding their capability to execute specific actions necessary for effective coping when faced with adversity, stress, or personal problems. This measurement is crucial in health and clinical psychology because perceived self-efficacy is a strong predictor of behavioral change and successful adaptation to chronic conditions or major life stressors.

The scale serves as a valuable diagnostic and research tool, allowing practitioners and researchers to identify specific areas where an individual feels least confident in their coping repertoire. By assessing efficacy beliefs across different domains, interventions can be tailored to strengthen confidence in specific coping strategies, thereby promoting better psychological outcomes and improved adherence to management plans.

Construct

The CSE fundamentally measures the psychological construct of self-efficacy as applied within the context of coping. Self-efficacy, as theorized by Bandura, refers to an individual’s belief in their capacity to execute behaviors necessary to produce specific performance attainments. When applied to coping, this construct assesses the expectation of competence in managing internal and external demands that are appraised as taxing or exceeding one’s resources.

The 26 items reflect a broad range of coping strategies, encompassing cognitive, emotional, and behavioral responses to stress. The underlying assumption is that higher coping self-efficacy leads to greater persistence, increased effort investment, and ultimately, more successful outcomes when navigating difficult life challenges, especially those prevalent in health and rehabilitation settings.

Validity

The original validation study conducted by Chesney et al. (2006) established robust validity for the CSE. Construct validity was strongly supported through the demonstration of the hypothesized factor structure (detailed below) and its meaningful correlation with established measures of stress, depression, and positive affect. The scale successfully differentiated individuals based on their self-reported stress levels and overall psychological well-being.

Subsequent studies, such as the psychometric evaluation among HIV-infected Iranian patients by Mahmoudi et al. (2015), further supported the cross-cultural relevance and validity of the scale, confirming its utility across diverse clinical populations dealing with significant health stressors. The scale exhibits strong convergent validity with other measures of mastery and control, confirming that it accurately captures the intended efficacy construct.

Reliability

The CSE demonstrates excellent internal consistency, confirming high reliability across its factors. In the original 2006 study, the overall scale exhibited high reliability. Specifically, the factor analysis yielded strong Cronbach’s alpha coefficients for the identified subscales:

• Problem-focused coping (6 items): α = .91
• Stop unpleasant emotions and thoughts (4 items): α = .91
• Get support from friends and family (3 items): α = .80

These high alpha values indicate that the items within each subscale are highly correlated and measure the same underlying dimension of coping confidence, suggesting the scale is a reliable measure for both research and clinical application.

Factor Analysis

The factor analysis of the 26-item Coping Self-Efficacy Scale revealed a clear, multi-dimensional structure. The original authors identified three primary factors that encapsulate distinct types of coping confidence, which are critical for understanding how individuals perceive their ability to respond to stress:

1. Problem-Focused Coping: This factor (6 items) relates to an individual’s confidence in their ability to analyze, plan, and execute actions to directly solve or manage the source of the stressor. Examples include breaking down problems and finding solutions.
2. Stopping Unpleasant Emotions and Thoughts (Emotional Regulation): This factor (4 items) measures confidence in regulating internal distress, such as preventing sadness, controlling negative thoughts, and maintaining a positive outlook despite adversity.
3. Seeking Support from Friends and Family: This factor (3 items) assesses the perceived ability to mobilize and utilize one’s social network for emotional or tangible support during stressful times.

The remaining items contribute to the total CSE score, providing a holistic assessment of generalized coping efficacy across various challenging domains.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report psychological scale

Format: 26 items utilizing an 11-point Likert scale, ranging from 0 (Cannot do at all) to 10 (Totally certain can do).

Language Available: Primarily English, with validated translations available in several languages including Persian/Farsi.

Population Group: General populations, clinical populations, and those experiencing chronic health conditions (e.g., HIV, cancer).

Age Group: Adults (typically 18 years and older).

Population Details: The scale is designed for use with individuals facing stress or problems, focusing on their confidence in handling these situations rather than the frequency of the coping behaviors themselves.

Test Methodology: Respondents rate their confidence level regarding their ability to perform each coping behavior in response to the prompt: “When things aren’t going well for you, or when you’re having problems, how confident or certain are you that you can do the following.”

Keywords

Psychological assessment, Health outcomes, Resilience, Stress inoculation, Likert scale, Coping strategies, Emotional intelligence.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not specified in source content.

Affiliation Email addresses: Not specified in source content.

Correspondence Address: Not specified in source content (Primary research affiliation associated with the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)).

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The scale was formally developed and validated in 2006 by Chesney et al. The scale is frequently used in non-commercial academic research. The instrument is publicly accessible through several academic repositories and publications, including the publication via the National Institutes of Health (NIH) repository: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1602207/. Researchers seeking to use the scale for commercial or extensive clinical purposes should contact the primary authors or the journal publisher for formal permission.

Reference’s

• Chesney, M. A., Neilands, T. B., Chambers, D. B., Taylor, J. M., & Folkman, S. (2006). A validity and reliability study of coping self-efficacy scale. British Journal of Health Psychology, 11, 421–437. (Available via: http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1602207)
• Chesney et al. (2006). Coping Self-Efficacy Scale. In: Simmons C. A., Lehmann P. (eds). Tools for strengths-based assessment and evaluation, New York, NY: Springer, pp. 234-236. (2013).
• Mahmoudi, M., Shojaezadeh, D., Dehdari, T., et al. (2015). Psychometric Properties of the Coping Self-Efficacy Scale Among HIV-Infected Iranian Patients. Iran Red Crescent Med J, 7(2): e25074.

Items of the Coping Self-Efficacy Scale(CSE)

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

When things aren’t going well for you, or when you’re having problems, how confident or certain are you that you can do the following:

1. Keep from getting down in the dumps.
2. Talk positively to yourself.
3. Sort out what can and cannot be changed.
4. Get emotional support from friends and family.
5. Find solutions to your most difficult problems.
6. Break an upsetting problem down into smaller parts.
7. Leave options open when things get stressful.
8. Make a plan of action and follow it when confronted with a problem.
9. Develop new hobbies or recreations.
10. Take your mind off unpleasant thoughts.
11. Look for something good in a negative situation.
12. Keep from feeling sad.
13. See things from the other person’s point of view during a heated argument.
14. Try other solutions to your problems if your first solutions don’t work.
15. Stop yourself from being upset by unpleasant thoughts.
16. Make new friends.
17. Get friends to help you with the things you need.
18. Do something positive for yourself when you are feeling discouraged.
19. Make unpleasant thoughts go away.
20. Think about one part of the problem at a time.
21. Visualize a pleasant activity or place.
22. Keep yourself from feeling lonely.
23. Pray or meditate.
24. Get emotional support from community organizations or resources.
25. Stand your ground and fight for what you want.
26. Resist the impulse to act hastily when under pressure.

Scoring instruction: Cannot do all=0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5= Moderately Certain can do, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10= at certain can do.